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Brendon McCullum detested the moniker Bazball the moment it emerged, viewing it as overly simplistic and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised down the line. Currently, trailing 2-0 in an Test series in Australia that began with high hopes, it has turned into the subject of Australian jokes.

However McCullum has contributed to the problem either. Following the crushing defeat at the Gabba, his insistence that, if anything, England were 'too prepared' before the day-night Test was like trying to put out a rubbish fire with gasoline. It could become his epitaph as England head coach if performances do not improve.

In a way, you almost have to admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum says he ignore external noise, he will have been all too aware of an England team increasingly characterised as carefree and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is not so simple. England enjoy golf just as much during their scheduled breaks as their rivals and they practice equally hard. Before the Gabba Test, they trained for longer, completing five days compared to Australia's three, due to their lack of exposure to the pink Kookaburra ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Question of Preparation and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those additional training days were his call – the instance he blinked in his conviction that less is more. It meant a significant amount of focus was used up before they even took the field in the cauldron of Australia's stronghold. While nets are a opportunity to refine skills, they can also become a comfort zone; zero consequence activity that simply keeps the reactions quick.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were unavailable (with no guarantee, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the dismissal of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, evidenced by a young player's wasted summer.

Match Deficiencies and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Match practice alone prepares cricketers for the many situations they walk out to face, and it is here where England have so far been found lacking. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an attack that seems leaderless. No bowler has shown the patience or control that the otherworldly Australian paceman and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional outlook was liberating during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to eradicate the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now stems from how it has seemingly not evolved past that initial phase – the lack of an second phase to the initial philosophy that has seen form taper off to an even record from their most recent matches.

Player Focus and Selection Decisions

One such player is Jamie Smith, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being constantly tested on each side of the bat and missed two crucial opportunities as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your counterpart, the Australian keeper, has just produced a masterful display.

Going by the coach's comments in the aftermath, England look likely to keep the faith with Smith in Adelaide. The expectation – as is the case – is that a return to a traditional Test setting unleashes his best, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unfamiliar day-night format now in the past.

The alternative is to implement the plan stumbled across during the series win in New Zealand last year by shifting the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy middle order player, handing him the wicketkeeping duties, and picking a fresh face at first drop. A young contender scored runs for the Lions over the weekend, or maybe an all-rounder could fulfil a similar role to the former spinner in 2023.

Ultimately, these changes is ideal, with Australia's better fundamentals having destroyed expectations and pushed the team's entire approach into the harsh glare of scrutiny.